PM Kobakhidze: expelling Peter Fischer would be ‘gift’ - calling German Ambassador ‘tragic figure’

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday described German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer as a “tragic figure,” suggesting that even his expulsion from the country would be a “gift”.

“Fischer is in a tragic state. Defending Fischer is itself a tragic act. I do not want to make extensive comments on this, but he is such a tragic figure that expelling him would be a gift. When you are [Mamuka] Khazaradze’s tenant, what greater tragedy can there be?” Kobakhidze told reporters.

His remarks come amid tensions between the Georgian Government and Germany, following Berlin’s rejection of recent accusations by Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili that Ambassador Fischer supported extremist groups during clashes outside the ruling Georgian Dream’s Tbilisi campaign headquarters earlier this week.